An article in the Dawn newspaper said that when it became clear that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was headed for an election victory, "the Congress gracefully and publicly accepted defeat."

“There (were) no ... allegations about rigging, either by individuals or hidden forces," said the article.

"No one complained of having been robbed of their mandate and no press conferences were held to threaten protests and rallies. The election was over with the vote count - the parties (be those in power or those in opposition) moved on to do what they are elected for: governance. What a contrast it is to the mess called politics in Pakistan," the article said.

“A year after Nawaz Sharif took power in Pakistan, the state has not been able to resolve the issue of how fair or unfair the elections in 2013 were and how to address the rigging allegations,: it said.

"Most parties continue to beat their chests about the injustice done to them - even though most of them are either ruling in one province or the other," it added.